There has been a huge growth in amount and availability of documents, tools and other data. The growth of the Internet and computer networking in general has seen an explosion in use of computers to provide create, manage and distribute data. Frequently, information is more readily available to individuals via computers and computer networks, rather than through traditional media (e.g., print, microfiche, microfilm, bound volumes and the like).
Due to the vast amount of information, it can be difficult to locate specific pieces of information. Traditional indexes may quickly become outdated as information added, deleted and/or updated. Furthermore, such indexes fail to utilize the capabilities and flexibility of computers. Computer search algorithms and techniques are capable of allowing users to search text rather than requiring users to guess keywords used to index content.
Computer search engines can locate desired information utilizing a variety of techniques or algorithms. The more efficient a search engine is at locating the desired information, the more valuable the search engine is to users. Even the most critical data is useless if it is inaccessible. Individual users become quickly frustrated when they are unable to obtain desired information and ineffective or unusable search tools can negate the advantages of computer-assisted research.
Utility and usability of help tools and other search engines can have monetary implications for content providers. Help tools may provide users with information necessary to fully utilize software or other products. The better the help tools, the better the user's experience and the more likely a user is to utilize the product, recommend the product to others and purchase additional products from a provider. Similarly, search engine providers typically make their profit by displaying advertisements. However, if the search engine cannot provide useful results, users will likely switch to a competitor's search engine forcing the provider to reduce advertising rates.